Liam
by Eclectic Butterfly
Summary: Sequel/Prequel to Brothers. Heath and Liam have a long conversation and discover a little about each other's past.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello again everyone! I am pleased to bring you this sequel/prequel of _Brothers._ This is not going to be as long as _War Treasure_ was, so I will be posting chapters once a week as is my usual schedule. I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

 **Prologue**

 **Strawberry**

"Heath Thomson! Boy, what do you think you are doing?"

The seven year old boy froze in his tracks for a moment and then slowly turned. "Nothing," he said innocently. He put his hands behind his back as the older, black woman hurried towards him. "I'm not doing anything, Aunt Hannah."

"Don't you give me that, Heath boy," Hannah scolded, grabbing his arm. She bent down and studied his face, which was streaked with dirt. His right eye was suspiciously bruised and swollen. "Have you been fighting?"

Heath's lower lip pushed out into a pout. "The older boys were teasing Libby," he protested. "I tried to help her. And then they were calling me names and wouldn't stop."

Shaking her head, Hannah gave his backside a slight swat. "You know better than to be fighting with the other boys," she chided. She shifted her hand down to his little one. "Now you just come on up to the house and get cleaned up before your Mama sees you."

As she lead the boy to the back door, Hannah happened to glance down and saw the teary eyed expression on his face. "Oh, child," she said with a sigh. She bent down and scooped him up. "You gonna have to learn to ignore it when other people talk."

"They said my pa didn't care about Mama and me, 'cuz he left," Heath informed her, his voice wobbling with pent up emotion. "They said Mama was a bad person 'cuz it's just me and her. That's not true, is it, Aunt Hannah?"

Hannah barely kept from sighing. Some folks in Strawberry minded their own business and left Leah Thomson to her own devices, but everyone else...Lord, they could be cruel and hateful.

"You know better than to ask a thing like that," she said gently, hoping to avoid answering the first part of Heath's grievances. She set the boy down on the floor of the porch. "You think your Mama a bad person?"

He emphatically shook his head. "But what about my pa," he asked. "Why haven't I ever seen him?"

"Heath, child, that be between you and your mama," Hannah hedged. "Now come here and clean your face."

It was while the woman was drying Heath's face that Leah Thomson came running in. "Oh, Heath," she exclaimed, dropping onto her knees by the boy. She grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him into a hug. "Someone said you were fighting with the other boys down at the stables. Are you alright? Why would you do something like that?"

"He be just fine, Miss Leah, now he got the dirt off of him," Hannah informed her, folding the towel neatly. "Other boys been talking bad and he decided he didn't want to hear it."

Pulling back, Leah met her son's bright, blue eyed gaze. "Heath, is this true?" she asked. She caught his head between her two hands and studied the black eye that was forming.

Guiltily, Heath nodded. "I'm sorry, Mama," he said sincerely. "I didn't mean to upset you. They were teasing Libby and wouldn't stop. I had to help her."

"I know, honey," Leah responded, rubbing her chapped hands along his arms until she grasped his hands in her's. "And I am so proud of you for defending a girl. Fighting isn't the answer, though."

"Miss Leah, you best get back to the hotel," Hannah urged. "That laundry won't wash itself."

"Mama," Heath spoke up, reclaiming his mother's attention. "Am I a bastard?"

Leah's eyes widened with shock. "Heath," she breathed out. "Is that what those boys said to you?" Her son just nodded, his eyes pleading that she refute it. "Now you listen here, your father was a good man. He loved me very much and I loved him. No child born of a union like that should feel inferior. You just ignore what anyone else says, alright?"

Again, Heath nodded. Leah kissed his forehead and stood up. "Now go back to the livery, and do your chores like you're supposed to," she urged. "I'll see you at supper."

The boy took off and Hannah groaned. "Miss Leah, you ought not be telling him things like that," she said.

Pursing her lips, Leah shook her head. "I only tell him the truth and what he needs to know," she answered, walking to the doorway. She sighed as she watched the blonde head vanish into the bushes. "I think about how lonely he must be without Liam."

Hannah flushed, guilt overwhelming her. "The child can't miss what he never had," she responded, making her tone practical.

Leah leaned against the doorframe. "I sometimes wonder how he is," she commented in a distant tone. "Do you think Liam and Heath still look alike? Do you think he's still as sickly as he was when he was born?"

"Miz McCauwin say she give Liam a good life," Hannah said, praying her words were the truth.

"Oh, I hope so."

"Miss Leah, Rachel won't be able to cover for you much longer, " Hanah warned, eager to change the subject. "Mister Matthew won't be happy if he find out you left."

Nodding, Leah went down the porch stairs and hurried towards the hotel. Hannah looked over to where Heath was studying something on the ground and sent up yet another prayer for forgiveness, along with a request that Katherine McCauwin be kind to young Liam.

* * *

 **Texas**

"Liam Sawyer! Just what do you think you are doing?"

The seven year old boy flinched as he froze in his tracks. "I'm going to get cleaned up, Aunt Kathy," he answered, turning to face the woman. "I promise I won't get anything dirty."

Katherine McCauwin grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the light. "Have you been fighting?" she demanded in a horrified tone. "You wicked boy! How many times have you been told not to fight?"

"It wasn't my fault!" Liam wailed as the woman's hand connected with the seat of his pants. The grip on his wrist kept him from escaping the blows. "Mac kept pushing me!"

"It's always somebody else's fault, isn't it?" Katherine asked impatiently. "And to come through the house, while I am entertaining friends, all covered in mud like this...you've been warned, Liam Sawyer."

The boy's eyes brimmed with tears. "I'm sorry, Auntie!"

Releasing him abruptly, Katherine glared at him. "Go get cleaned up, and don't expect any kind of supper tonight," she decreed. "One way or another, you're going to learn to control yourself better. Just be glad I am not telling your uncle about this."

Going pale, Liam nodded, his eyes wide with fear. "I won't do it again, I promise!"

He scrambled for his room. A few moments after he arrived, Maria, the McCauwin's cook, came hurrying in. "Boy, do you think I don't have better things to do than to be watching out for you?" she demanded, pouring water into the basin. She caught him, and held him down to scrub his face clean. "Why you have to humiliate Miz McCauwin like that?"

"I didn't mean to make her upset," Liam protested as the rough towel was rubbed across his face. "It was Mac!"

Maria sighed. "That Mac is going to lead you straight into trouble if you're not careful," she said. "What was it this time?"

"He was pulling the kitten's tail," Liam explained. "He said he wouldn't stop unless I made him so I did."

The cook shook her head. "You best not worry about the little critters so much, and get back to weeding the garden like you're supposed to," she advised. "Mister McCauwin won't be happy if you don't get that done, and you know what will happen then."

Nodding, Liam cringed as he hurried away. As he crept past the parlor, where the ladies were gathered, he heard one of them say, "Really, you are an example to us all, Katherine. You've done such a fine thing in assisting those less fortunate, like that boy. Maybe he'll make something of himself with your guidance."

"A boy like that will never be worth anything and it's foolish to think otherwise," another woman responded primly. "After all, who knows what kind of blood runs in his veins."

"Well, his father was a no account rancher, but his mother was of good family," Katherine remarked. "I'm hopeful that he can be taught to stay on the straight and narrow, though heaven knows I've got my hands full. As you all just saw."

Liam balled his hands into tight fists. "At least he's nothing like that Baker family in town," the first woman commented. "The whole lot of them will come to no good end."

Ducking his head, Liam hastened out the door and started for the fence that protected the garden. A shadow fell over him and he looked up. His eyes widened and he swallowed hard. "Yes, sir?" he asked, his voice shaking with fear.

Jonathan McCauwin swung down off his horse and slapped his riding crop against his palm. "Just what do you think you're doing, Sawyer?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Fifteen years later**

A warm breeze did little to bring any relief to the two young men as they rode up to the nearly dead mining town. From a distance, they looked identical with lean builds and blonde hair. It was only up close that the differences between them could be seen to anyone who looked carefully enough.

"You sure you're up for this?"

Breathing out, Liam Sawyer nodded. "There's no sense putting it off and we've already come this far," he responded.

Heath Barkley nodded and edged ahead of his twin brother. He led the way to a stop, just outside of the town, where a single grave was. The area around the marker had the appearance as though someone had tried to keep it tidy but was failing.

Swinging down off his mount, Liam approached the grave slowly. He knelt down and ran his fingers over the name carved into the wood: _Leah Thomson Sawyer._ He bowed his head and closed his eyes. Hearing Heath step beside him, Liam shook his head. "All this time," he said aloud, looking over at his brother. "I could have come before this. I _should_ have come to learn the truth from her."

Kneeling down, Heath touched the marker. "She would have understood why you didn't," he commented. "You said yourself that you never knew if you were getting the truth from anyone."

"It doesn't make it right. She is the one person who could have told me the truth, and I was too afraid to take the chance."

"Oh, you've come to see Miss Leah?"

At the old voice, both men straightened and turned. Heath immediately recognized the frail woman who was shuffling towards them. "Hannah," he said, hurrying to meet her. "Hannah, it's me. Heath. Do you recognize me?"

The past few times that he'd visited the old woman who had helped raise him, it had taken some prodding before she would realize who he was. After a few moments, Hannah's face lit up with recognition. "It is you," she exclaimed. "Heath. How big you've grown!"

Glancing quickly over his shoulder, and feeling a sense of deja vu, Heath told her, "I've brought someone to meet you. Do you recognize him?"

Liam moved to stand by Heath, pulling his hat off. Hannah looked from one to the other, a frown on her face. "No," she breathed out. "Lord help me. Who that? There's two of you, Heath."

"My name is Liam, ma'am," the slightly taller of the pair said, his tone respectful. "The last time you saw me I was a baby, I would imagine."

"Liam," Hannah repeated. "Little Liam all grown up." Her face twisted with fear and she began to back away. "Don't be mad at old Hannah."

"Mad?" Liam repeated, sending a puzzled look at Heath. "Why would I be mad?"

Hannah vehemently shook her head. "I thought it was the right thing," she said. "I knowed what Miz Katherine was thinking and didn't stop her. Poor Miss Leah. She grieve so hard for her boy. Always hoping Liam had a good life."

The two men stared at her. She moved forward to grab Liam's arms. "Did I do wrong?" she asked, her tone desperate. "Miz Katherine take care of you good, right?"

For a moment, Liam was silent, his gray-blue eyes scanning the old woman's face. He gently extracted himself from her grip and took her hands in his. "There is nothing you need to feel guilty about," he said to her, his voice sincere. "You can see that Heath and I have found each other. That's all the matters now. You just rest easy."

A relieved smile crossed Hannah's face. "That good. That good," she said. She pulled her hands free and turned away, her task of tending the grave apparently forgotten. "Liam and Heath. They found each other. Miss Leah be so happy. No need to worry anymore. They found each other. That all that matters now."

She continued to talk to herself as she walked away. Liam looked at his brother quizzically. "Her mind wanders pretty badly now. We caught her on a good day," Heath commented, shaking his head. "I think you eased her mind though, Liam."

"Why should I add to her guilt with the truth of how I grew up?" Liam asked, a note of bitterness in his voice. He straightened his shoulders. "Thank you for bringing me, Heath. We should probably head back now, though, right?"

"Yeah, Gene's train will be getting in this afternoon, and there's nothing else left here to show you," Heath agreed. He was the first to mount and he led the way away from what remained of Strawberry.

* * *

On the edge of the Barkley ranch, Heath and Liam stopped for a break by the creek. Leaving the two horses to nibble at the tall grass, the brothers went to the edge of the water and sat under the shade of a large oak tree.

"Heath, do you ever wonder how it would have been if I hadn't been taken?" Liam asked, looking up at the sky.

"Honestly, I haven't really thought about it," Heath responded, his tone thoughtful. "Why? Do you?"

"A couple times, especially now that I've seen Strawberry," Liam admitted with a sigh. "I wish I could have known Leah Thomson. But then I remember that I never would've met Carolyn or had my children. I honestly can't imagine what my life would have been without them, even though I lost Carrie and Tom."

He took a deep breath pushing down his grief over his wife and son's death. Heath glanced over but didn't say anything. A comfortable silence formed between them that lasted for a minute. "Days like this don't come often enough," Liam finally commented, his tone shifting to one of contentment. He took a swig from his canteen and then offered it to his brother.

"Nope," Heath responded, accepting the canteen. He took a quick drink before handing it back. "You know, we'd have more of these kind of days if you took on the Barkley name and left the Double Square to move in here, Liam."

Chuckling, Liam Sawyer sent a quick glance over at his twin brother. "Is that you speaking or Nick?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Be glad it is me. Nick wouldn't be so nice about it."

Chuckling, Liam focused on the horizon again. "You do have a point there, Heath," he said in amusement. "I imagine that I would be deaf for a week if he were the one here and listing off all the reasons for why I need stay. You know I think I could repeat word for word everything he has to say on the matter."

"So you do realize that you didn't answer me," Heath pointed out, leaning back against the tree.

"You do realize that there wasn't an actual question," Liam responded sending a smirk over at his twin.

Heath scoffed, crossing his arms. "Now you're just avoiding the subject."

Sighing, Liam closed his eyes. "Heath, you wouldn't understand," he replied. He bounced his fist against his right knee. "I've given my answer more times than I can count and let's just leave it at that, alright? There's nothing else that needs to be said."

"Well, I'm certainly not going understand if you don't tell me anything."


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Well, this is an extra long chapter because I couldn't find a good place to break it off. But, it makes up for missing a week, right? I feel like I should warn you that the remainder of this story does a lot of back and forth in Liam's timeline.**_

* * *

With a frustrated growl, Liam pushed himself up off the ground. "Heath, being foreman at the Double Square, it's just something I have to do," he said, taking his hat off to run his right hand through his hair. "I can't leave until I know..."

"What?" Heath asked when his brother didn't finish his sentence. "What is it that you need to know, Liam?"

Shaking his head, Liam was silent for a few moments. "I have to know I can make it, Heath," he admitted in a low voice. "That I can make a success, that I can do something in my life without someone else there making the way."

Puzzled, Heath frowned at him. "Why can't you do that here?" he asked. "If you think Nick is going to go easy on you because he's family, you don't have a very good understanding of our older brother."

"No, that's not what I mean."

"Why don't you sit down and explain it to me then?" Heath suggested, keeping his tone calm while his brother's tone became more agitated. "You're going to give me a crick in the neck if I have to keep looking up at you like this."

Liam dropped down into a crouch, though his whole body stayed tense. "Heath, you don't know what it's like to have everyone telling you that you'll never succeed," he said earnestly, "that you should be so grateful for every little thing that someone does for you."

"You think I don't?" Heath responded evenly, sitting up straight. His gaze didn't waver from his brother's. "You really don't know anything about it."

Pushing the brim of his hat back, Liam studied his twin for a moment before heaving a sigh. "I guess I don't," he admitted. His gray-blue eyes took on a distant expression. "I just want to earn a name for myself on my own merit, not just because of the name I carry."

"You think being known as a Barkley would keep you from doing that?" Heath asked. "Liam, Jarrod is a lawyer and Eugene has been off at college to learn...something, and they've both been Barkleys their whole lives. What's really eating at you?"

Standing up, Liam shoved his hands into his pockets. "Nothing, Heath," he said, turning away. "Just forget about it."

"You're a rotten liar."

"Stop pushing, Heath."

Heath stared at him. "I'm not pushing. I'm trying to understand why you're so insistent on staying away from the family. Are you ashamed of the Barkley name?"

Startled, Liam swung around. "What? No! Why would you think that?"

"Well, Tom Barkley didn't do either of us any favors when he left our mother alone in a mining town."

With a scowl, Liam shook his head. "You told me he didn't know that he left our mother pregnant," he pointed out. "And why would I hold what he did against the rest of the family? It wasn't their fault. Look, I don't have a thing against the Barkley name, Heath. It's a fine name and people respect anyone with the name."

"Is that the problem then? You don't think you're good enough to be a Barkley?" Heath asked bluntly.

He saw a look of pain crossed Liam's face before the man turned away. "Leave it, Heath. How many times do I have to ask you to just let it go?"

"If we're being technical, you've never actually asked," Heath asked, leaning forward. "Just what did McCauwin convince you of, Liam? You've never talked about growing up in Texas. All the times I've told you about Strawberry and our mother, you've never said a word about Texas."

His shoulders sagging, Liam came back to his place under the shade tree. "That's not fair. You had our mother, and I don't have anything important like that to share with you," he said as he lowered himself down to the ground. "What happened to me in Texas is not a story worth telling."

"Liam, if there's one thing I've learned since I came here, it's that sometimes a burden is easier to bear when you talk about it," Heath told him honestly. "Do you think I liked having to talk about my time in Carterson? The war is a subject I'd happily never bring up, but after meeting Bentell and telling everyone a little what it was like there, it was like a weight was lifted off me."

Bending his legs, Liam rested his forehead against his left knee. "Carterson," he murmured. He twisted his head around. "You were in that place? You never told me that."

Scowling, Heath shook his head. "We're not talking about what happened to me in the war, Liam," he said impatiently. "We're talking about you."

"You are as stubborn as Nick," Liam complained, straightening up with a sigh. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Liam, I just want to understand where you're coming from," Heath told him. "Now's as good a time as any. No one else is around. Whatever you tell me can stay just between us two."

Taking off his hat, Liam tossed it aside and ruffled his hair. "It's in the past and it can stay there for all I care."

"I think you're the one who got all the stubbornness in the family, " Heath told him. He closed his eyes and sat back against the tree. "Fine. We'll talk about something else. How did you meet your wife?"

Surprised, Liam frowned at him. "You don't really want to know about that, do you?" he asked skeptically.

"Why not? I'd like to know about her."

Maneuvering so that he was sitting next to his brother, Liam answered, "This is why people call you the reserved one. You just get everyone else to gabbing and then you can just sit back to listen."

Heath smirked in triumph. "It works doesn't it?"

Heaving a heavy sigh, Liam looked up at the sky through the branches. "Alright. I was about thirteen," he said, his tone thoughtful. "I was sent into town for supplies with some of the hands. They all went to get a drink and I was left to load up the wagon..."

* * *

Wiping at the sweat that had beaded up on his forehead, Liam leaned against the side of the wagon. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the way everyone up on the sidewalk made sure that they kept their distance from where he was working. He shook his head and faced what remained to be loaded into the McCauwin's wagon.

"You're awfully young to be doing all of that by yourself."

Startled, Liam spun around towards the feminine voice. A girl with long blonde hair was standing a few feet away. Her gingham dress was worn and on the short. She tilted her head as she stared at him. "I'm older than I look," he informed her. He turned back to his work, not inclined to have a conversation with her.

She gave a huff. "Sure you are," she responded, her tone filled with skepticism. Sending a scowl at her over his shoulder, Liam grabbed a bag of flour and swung it up into the wagon. "That doesn't prove anything. Anyone could do that."

"You couldn't," Liam fired back, his pride stung at the implication that he couldn't do his job.

"I could so!"

"Nope. You're just a girl."

With a stomp of her foot, the girl grabbed the remain bag of flour. She hauled it up onto her shoulder and deposited it next to the other one. "See? I can do it," she said with pride when she faced Liam once again. "I told you I could do it!"

Liam scuffed his foot on the ground. "Yeah, yeah," he conceded, grabbing the crate of canned food. "So you can move a bag of flour. Like you said. Anyone can do that. Why don't you go away now and play with a doll or something?"

"I am allowed to stand here," the girl said stubbornly. She fell quiet as she watched him finish loading the wagon. "What's your name?"

"Liam Sawyer," he answered reluctantly.

Her eyes widened. "Oh, I know who you are! You're the boy who lives with the McCauwins, aren't you?" she exclaimed. Liam sent a glare at her that she seemed to ignore. "Aren't you going to ask what my name is?"

"And why would I do that?"

She shook her head. "Don't you know anything? It's the polite thing to do," she informed him. She waited a moment, but Liam only stared at her. "My name is Carolyn. Carolyn Baker. Most people call me Carrie. I don't know why. I don't like it but they just keep doing it."

A Baker. Liam had heard more than once how that particular family was in the way of the McCauwin spread expanding. The Baker ranch was small and barely struggled along. The family was not well liked by anyone of the McCauwins' acquaintance, which was just about the whole of the town, and all wondered why the family stayed.

If he was caught talking to her, Liam knew for sure he'd be punished for sure. "Well, bye, Carrie," he said dismissively.

Carolyn pouted and crossed her arms. "You're not very nice, you know that?" she complained. Her face fell a moment later. "It's because I'm a Baker, isn't it? You're just like everyone else in this stupid town."

"No, I'm not," Liam was stung into replying. "I'm nothing like everyone else."

The girl smiled happily. "Oh, good," she said, clasping her hands together. "Everyone else can be boring and mean. I just knew you and I would be friends as soon as I saw you. Come with me. I want to show you something."

Before Liam could protest, she grabbed his hand. He hissed in pain and Carolyn looked down. She turned his hand over and gasped. "Oh, your poor hand!" she exclaimed, seeing the swollen welts that lined his palms. "How did this happen? Why aren't you wearing any gloves to protect this from dirt? It will get infected!"

"I'm not a sissy," Liam said defensively, trying in vain to pull away. "I don't need gloves. It's fine."

She pulled the strip of fabric that served as a ribbon in her hair and wrapped it around his palm. "There," she said in satisfaction. "I wish I could do more, but this will keep some of the dirt out. Now, come on. You have to see this."

Bemused by the strange girl's antics, Liam didn't put up any fight as she pulled him into the store. She led him right up to the counter and stopped. Nervously, Liam glanced down to where the storekeeper was in an intense argument with an older man.

"What?" Liam asked when Carolyn didn't say anything. He sent a cursory glance over the items displayed and didn't see anything out of the ordinary. "I don't see anything new."

"All of those," the girl said, pointing at the harmonicas displayed on the counter. "Aren't they pretty? I love the way they are so shiny in their boxes and how they all sound. I wish I knew someone who could play one. My brother used to play for me but he left to fight in the war."

Sadness crept over her face and Liam found himself wanting to bring her smile back. He boldly picked up the musical instrument and blew into it. Carolyn giggled at the discordant notes that sounded. "It takes practice, silly boy," she told him. "You can't just pick one up and sound good."

Flushing, Liam set it down. "Well, maybe one day I'll learn."

"I bet you'd be good at it."

This time his blush was of embarrassment. "When did your brother join the Confederacy?" he asked. News from the war barely reached the McCauwin ranch and he couldn't help but be curious about it.

Carolyn glanced around and leaned in closer. "My brother joined the Union," she whispered with obvious pride. She narrowed her eyes. "And you can't tell nobody about it."

Surprised, Liam stared at her. "Why the Union?" he asked, making sure he kept his voice down.

"Because no one has the right to own another person," Carolyn answered simply. She glanced over her shoulder and winced as she saw the older man stomp away from the counter. "I have to go. I'll see you around, Liam."

She bolted after her father, leaving Liam. "There something you need, boy?" the storekeeper demanded, his tone harsh. The boy shook his head. "Then get out of here. I don't need your kind driving away my business."

Never mind that there was no one else in the building. Ducking his head, Liam ran for the door. He made it a few feet from the door before a hand grabbed his arm. "Running from something, kid?" the tall, dark haired man asked.

"No, sir, Mr. Wallace," Liam answered immediately.

Wallace, the foreman for McCauwin, shoved him towards the wagon. "Well, I'm just going to check on that with Stewart inside, just in case you're lying," he said. He pointed at the wagon. "Now get on there and don't even think about getting down again. The town don't need a bastard like you running around getting into trouble."

Liam clenched his teeth but kept quiet as he pulled himself up onto the back of the wagon. He glanced down at the thin fabric that wrapped his palm and he curled his fingers around it.


	4. Chapter 4

"And that was the first time I met her," Liam said, tearing a blade of grass in half.

Tilting his head, Heath nodded. "Let me guess, McCauwin found out you were talking to her and made you regret it," he commented.

"Not that time," Liam said with a slight laugh. He tossed the mangled leaf pieces onto the ground. "Carolyn had a kind of joy about her that I'd never seen before. Everyone hated her family but she wouldn't let that bother her. She was the sweetest, strong-willed girl I'd ever met, and a laugh that could light up a room."

Heath chuckled. "I knew someone like that once," he said, shifting his gaze to the horizon. "Liberty Keene, the prettiest girl in Strawberry with bright red hair. From the time we were kids, I loved to hear her laugh and sing. I would have married her -I even asked her once- but her pa wanted big things for her and they left Strawberry."

"Did you ever see her again?" Liam asked curiously.

"Yeah, about eight years later," Heath answered, closing his eyes. He forced himself to continue, "She actually came here to Stockton and was even prettier than I'd remembered. She tried to frame me for her husband's murder."

Startled, Liam glanced over. "Oh," he said. "I honestly don't know what to say to that. She was caught, I assume?"

"Jarrod figured it out," Heath explained. "And then, Libby, she...she was shot when she tried to escape. She died in my arms."

"Oh," Liam said again. "I'm sorry, Heath."

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Heath shrugged. "It wasn't the first time I fell for someone whose family didn't think I was the right kind of person for their daughter, and it probably won't be the last the way some people's memories are," he responded. "At least you found someone who looked past your background."

Liam nodded. "Yeah," he said softly. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"You said you didn't get caught 'that time'," Heath pointed out, turning the conversation back to the original topic. "So, you did get caught with her at some point?"

"Once," Liam answered, looking up at the branches. "It was about six months after I first met her, and we'd only talked a few times in between then. Mostly about what her brother was doing in the war." He hesitated for a moment. "I suppose Nick's told you about the scars on my back."

Frowning, Heath lifted his head up. "Yeah, but I thought those were from when you wanted to join the army and McCauwin stopped you."

"They are."

* * *

Thirteen year old Liam leaned against the fence post he'd just put in the ground. He frowned at the rapidly approaching horse and rider that was coming his way, and barely kept from sighing. The girl was stubborn, there was no doubt about it. "Hi Liam," Carolyn greeted as she pulled up by the boy. She leaned forward in the saddle. "I haven't seen you in awhile."

"Hey, Carrie," Liam responded, knowing the name would annoy her. He shaded his eyes as he looked up at her. "What are you doing out here? Again?"

"A girl can have a long ride if she wants one, can't she?" Carolyn responded, sliding to the ground. She kept the reins in her hand. "Are you doing this fence all by yourself?"

"Do you see anyone else here?" Liam answered. "You shouldn't be here, Carrie. If McCauwin or any of the hands sees you here-."

She shrugged, picked a pale pink wildflower, and twirled it in her fingers. "I'm on my pa's property, right now, so I have every right to be here," she said carelessly. "We got another letter from my brother yesterday, Liam."

Brightening, Liam stepped away from the fence post. "Has he been in any battles?"

Carolyn shook her head. "Nope," she answered. "He's been assigned to guard the gold trails. He's made a few friends. He says that a bunch of the soldiers in the troop are just kids who lied about their age to get in. One of them is your age."

Surprised, Liam shook his head. "I didn't think kids could get away with that. There's an age limit on joining the army."

Tilting her head, Carolyn looked him over up and down. "You could probably pass," she said. "I mean, you've been worked enough and have all the muscles of an older boy."

Embarrassed at her scrutiny, Liam kicked at the ground. "You really think I could?" he asked, suddenly intrigued by the idea. Maybe, just maybe, he'd finally found his way to escape the oppression of McCauwin.

Carolyn's eyes widened. "You're not going to try, are you?" she demanded.

"Maybe," Liam responded boldly. "I mean, it would be better than staying here and being worked to death."

"And you think getting blown to pieces or bleeding to death would be a better way to die?" Carolyn asked scornfully. She reached out and caught his arm. "It can't be as bad as that. Please don't do it, Liam. I don't want to think about you and my brother fighting each other in some battle or some such thing."

With a frown, Liam shook her off. "What makes you think I'd join the Confederate army?"

"You wouldn't?"

"Well, it seems to me the North has the right idea," he answered. "Owning another person, mistreating them, just isn't right. I know there are a bunch of other stuff involved but slavery just isn't right. I know."

The girl stepped forward and kissed his cheek. "I think that's wonderful," she declared. She surveyed his face with anxious eyes. "But you're not going to try, are you?"

Shrugging, Liam picked up his canteen and took a drink. "Like I said, it's got to be better than here."

"Liam Sawyer!"

Carolyn's eyes widened as she looked beyond Liam. She grabbed the front of his shirt when he went to look over his shoulder. "If you can get away from here, you should do it. Just don't go to war," she said a hurried whisper. She let go and hurried back to her horse. "Bye Liam!"

Liam watched her ride away, ignoring the approaching hoof beats. He fell to the ground when a boot hit him square in the back. "Slacking on the job, Sawyer?" McCauwin snarled. "What were you doing talking to that Baker girl?"

Knowing it was best to just hold his tongue, Liam picked himself up and made sure to keep his head down. "You get back to the bunkhouse," McCauwin ordered. "I'll deal with you later."

The rancher spurred his horse and galloped in the direction that Carolyn had fled in. Liam took one step to go after but thought better of it. He packed his equipment into the wagon and drove it to the ranch. He put everything away properly and went straight to his bunk.

It had been six years since he'd been moved from the main house to the bunk with the hired hands. Gathering up what few belongings he had, Liam moved quickly, determined to take advantage of McCauwin's absence. He planned on borrowing a horse and leave it in town. He'd figure out how he'd get to the nearest Union fort once he got to town.

"Think you're going somewhere, Sawyer?" Wallace asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Got something to do," Liam answered, evasively.

Shaking his head, Wallace turned. "The bastard's in here, boss," he called out as he walked away.

Swiftly, Liam shoved the saddle bag under the bunk a moment before McCauwin filled the doorway. His bullwhip was in his hand. "Is the workday done, boy?" he asked, stepping forward. "I seem to recall seeing the sun still being up in the sky."

"Yes, sir," Liam answered. He moved to edge around the man. "I'll get back to work, sir."

McCauwin grabbed his arm tightly. "What kind of nonsense was that no good Baker girl filling your head with?" he demanded.

"Nothing, she was just being friendly," Liam answered defensively, trying not to flinch. He cried out in pain as the big man twisted his arm. "That's all! I ain't lyin'!"

Roughly, McCauwin shoved the boy to the floor. "You've tried my patience too much this time, Sawyer," he snarled. His eyes landed on the saddlebag which was just barely showing under the bunk. He used his foot to bring it into full view. "What's this? I know what those Bakers think. Their son went and joined the Union. Did that girl talk you into doing the same thing?"

McCauwin uncoiled the whip. "I will make you talk," the rancher warned. "One way or another, Sawyer.

Realizing what was coming, Liam made a desperate scramble for cover. The whip hit his back, and he gritted his teeth against crying out in pain. But he couldn't hold his agony in when the whip struck a second time. Mercilessly, the whip cracked again and again until Liam lost count and gave up on staying conscious.

The last thing he saw was the wooden floor fading into darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Hmm, no comments for the last couple of chapters? No one has any opinion on my tale so far?**_

* * *

Liam's entire body was strung tighter than a banjo string. "So that's what happened," he said, picking up a stone and throwing it at the stream. "It took a week on my stomach to recover from it. Aunt Kath- I mean, Mrs. McCauwin insisted on nursing me through it. I think she felt a little guilty about the whole thing. That's when she told me about my mother and why she took me. So I guess some good came of it."

"Some good?" Heath echoed in disbelief. "Liam, he could have killed you."

"Well, obviously, he didn't. It wasn't the last time he used that bullwhip to make a point either."

"You know, I would have thought McCauwin would have been more than happy to get rid of you, by sending you off to fight in the war," Heath remarked, uncurling his fists. He looked down at the crescent shaped marks his fingernails had made in his palms. "He made no secret of his disgust for you...well, either of us, really."

Lifting one shoulder in a half hearted shrug, Liam answered, "Yeah, I know. I guess he just liked having someone that he could bully. I got out of there as soon as I could, which took longer than I would have liked."

"I've met men like McCauwin before, and several of them were at Caterson," Heath said with understanding. "What did McCauwin do when he rode after Carolyn?"

His twin heaved a sigh. "Oh, near as I could figure, he and Baker exchanged a few heated words, and that was about the extent of it," he answered.

"Was that the only time you tried to join the war effort?"

"Yeah, it was," Liam responded honestly. "I think McCauwin knew I would have took off the first chance I got because he kept someone near for the rest of the war. He was firmly on the side of the confederacy and hated any mention of the union."

"So, I'm guessing you didn't leave the ranch until the end of the war."

Liam shook his head. "It would have been easier if that was the case," he said. "Mrs. McCauwin had to keep up appearances though, and that meant the poor bastard she was trying so hard to reform had to make some appearances in town."

"Really?" Heath asked, glancing over. "I'm surprised the respectable ladies would allow that."

"It made them feel superior, I guess," Liam answered. "They talk about what a wonderful thing it was, and advise me to show how grateful I am for Aunt Kathy's interference in my life. Then I'd be sent outside and face the bullying of the respectable children."

His hands had curled into fists. "How long was it before you saw Carolyn again?" Heath asked, trying to get back on the subject they'd started with.

"Oh, on one of those visits to town," Liam answered, his hands relaxing. A smile came to his face. "She spotted some boys trying to get their hits and she decided she had to be my defender."

* * *

"Let him go!"

The taller boy who was holding Liam's arms back stumbled several steps the sudden attack. "Hey!" he complained, trying to twist around to remove the girl from his back. "Get her off!"

Fourteen year old Liam fell to his knees and but forced himself to struggle back up. Carolyn hit the ground a moment later as she was finally shaken off. Liam grabbed her hand and pulled her up. "Come on, Carrie," he urged as the two bullies faced them. "Run!"

Hand in hand, the pair raced from the yard until they took refuge behind a wagon. "Why did you do that?" Liam demanded, peering around to make sure the bullies were nowhere in sight. "You shouldn't have gotten involved."

"Oh, you would rather be beaten?" the thirteen year old girl responded. "And I told you not to call me Carrie. I don't like it."

"Well, I'm going to call you whatever I want," Liam told her, settling back. He regarded her seriously and shook his head. "Why is it everytime I see you some kind of misfortune happens soon after?"

"What do mean by misfortune? That's ridiculous!" Carolyn pointed out smugly. Liam rolled his eyes, and kept silent on the matter. "I think the misfortune was happening before I arrived, in the form of you getting beat to the ground, and I had nothing to do with that. When I jumped at Billy, I was just helping out a friend."

For the first time, Liam looked at her. Her blue eyes were dancing with mischief and her blond hair was already escaping the braids that had confined it. "You just won't take no for an answer, will you," he said. "You really want to be my friend."

"Oh, I think one day we'll be more than friends," Carolyn informed him. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Before he could react to that, she said brightly, "And I have something for you. It used to be my brother's, and I found it finally."

She held out a shiny, if somewhat dented harmonica. "No, I can't take that," Liam objected. "You should save it for your brother."

"I don't know if my brother will come back, Liam," Carolyn admitted softly. She put the harmonica in his hand and forced his fingers around "So many men are dying in the fighting. I don't see how he will survive when so many aren't."

On impulse, Liam put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sure he'll make it out."

The girl snuggled closer, and he winced in pain as she bumped his bruised ribs. "That's sweet of you to say," she said. "Thank you, Liam."

"Sawyer!"

At the shout, Liam pulled his arm away from Carolyn. "My aunt is looking for me," he said unnecessarily. "I should go before she finds you with me."

"For being your aunt, I don't think she treats you very nicely," Carolyn remarked as he stood up. "I'll see you later, Liam."

"Thank you for the harmonica," Liam remembered say before he raced back to Katherine McCauwin.

* * *

Heath chuckled. "I think I would have liked Carolyn," he commented.

"I have no doubt of it. All of our neighbors in San Francisco adored her," Liam told him. He cleared his throat and shook his head. "It was just the entire town of Boulder that disliked her. Carolyn Baker was a force to be."

Resting his head against the trunk of the tree, Heath frowned up at the branches, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face. "Baker is a common family name. There was a Baker in my troop. He died the last fight we were involved in. And I always thought he was one of the lucky ones."

The twins looked at each other. "You don't think-?" Liam started to ask.

"No, it has to be a coincidence," Heath responded, a little uncertainly. He shook his head. "Let's not talk about the war anymore. What happened next?"

"Well, I didn't see Carolyn for a couple years after that," Liam explained. " I spent most of the time planning how I was going to get away from the ranch."

"I don't blame you. I think I probably would have gotten out of there a lot sooner than you did," Heath said. "You said it yourself, you didn't have anything to keep you there like I had Mother to keep me in Strawberry."

Liam shrugged. "There wasn't really another choice for a long time," he responded. "I wasn't paid anything for any of the work I was doing there and I knew it would take some kind of money to get away. I was biding my time until I was certain I could do it without getting caught again."

"Doesn't make it right," Heath said sharply. "Nothing about what happened to us those years was right."

"What happened to you then?" Liam asked curiously. "Carterson?"

Heath scowled. "Carterson," he agreed, his sharp tone not easing. He shook his head. "Any thought of making a difference or fighting for right vanished the moment I was dragged into that place. I didn't think I would make it out."

"If you hadn't, you and I would've never known the truth," Liam commented, his tone thoughtful. "We wouldn't be here having this conversation. I wouldn't know I'm a Barkley."

"You won't claim to being a Barkley as it is."


	6. Chapter 6

"Don't start that again." Liam warned. He leaned against the tree. "So you were one of the kids that managed to be a soldier by lying about your age." Heath narrowed his eyes at him and Liam held his hands up. "I'm not judging. I wanted to do it myself and goodness knows I've had to do my share of lying before."

That drew a chuckle from Heath. "I suppose we both have," he commented. "But you're getting off topic. You're supposed to be telling me about your wife."

"It's not that much off topic," Liam responded with half a laugh. "I ended up lying about my age to marry Carolyn."

Heath's eyebrows went up. "You lied to get married?" he asked incredulously.

"Most preachers aren't fond of aiding two young kids running away together," Liam pointed out. "So we both said we were eighteen and the preacher didn't question it."

Frowning, Heath tried to do the math in his head. He and Liam were twenty two and Lucy was five. "You were what? Seventeen then? How could you be so sure that you wanted to marry her when you were that young?"

"I was sixteen, actually," Liam corrected. "Carolyn was fifteen. It was the only thing I could think of that would save her."

"What did you have to save her from?"

Liam ran his hands through his already thoroughly disheveled hair. "Well, her pa and brothers were killed during...well, an accident was the official determination," he answered. "Everybody knew it was McCauwin's doing. Anyway, no one in town would hire Carolyn except for the saloon, so that's where she ended up."

Heath winced in sympathy. "Just because she was a Baker? No one would hire her?" he asked. "And I thought people were just prejudiced against bastards."

"Yeah, well, prejudice comes in all kinds of forms," Liam replied with a sigh. "I didn't even know about Carolyn for the longest time. After the deaths of the Bakers, McCauwin kept me tied to the ranch but he couldn't keep me there forever. So when I ended up in town on one Friday night, I had quite a surprise."

"I can only imagine," Heath responded.

"Can you?" Liam asked. "I searched the whole town for some other occupation to escape the ranch. But it seemed no one in town wanted a bastard of questionable origins working for them, even if McCauwin wouldn't have been a consideration. Anyone who took pity on me would have been made to suffer."

"I thought we established that however different our childhoods were, we both know what it's like to grow up as bastards."

Sighing, Liam nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry," he said. "Anyway, that night I followed the sound of music to where the respectable people of the town were having a dance. I just watched them, laughing and dancing like they didn't have a care in the world. At that moment, I believe was the most jealous I'd ever been in my life."

"And Carolyn was there?" Heath asked.

His brother nodded. "She came up beside me and it took me a minute before I recognized her," he explained. "She wasn't dressed like I expected and it wasn't until a man made an inappropriate comment to her that I knew what had become of her. And then we had a rather heated argument on the matter."

* * *

"A saloon, Carolyn? Why?"

"What else was I supposed to do, Liam?" the fifteen year old demanded, her tone defensive. She hugged herself as she faced him on the dark boardwalk. "Starve to death? There wasn't enough for me to get out of here and no one would hire me. I had to do it."

"This is McCauwin's fault. He did this," Liam said angrily. He ran his hand through his hair, frustrated at what he'd learned. "He killed you family and made this happen. You're better than this, Carolyn! You should leave town."

"I know this is McCauwin's doing, but you try to prove that," Carolyn responded. She looked over her shoulder. "Look, I have to go, Liam. I'm expected at the saloon. I'll see you around."

Liam grabbed her wrist. "Carolyn, don't go," he told her. "You don't deserve this."

Carolyn's face softened and she reached up to cup his face with her hand. "Oh, Liam," she said with a sigh. "However did you manage to survive with that kind of optimism? McCauwin must have tried to beat it out of you."

"Carrie! Get in here!" came a harsh shout from inside the saloon.

When Carolyn moved to step away, Liam tightened his grip. "Listen," he said quickly. He glanced around the empty street. "Here's a crazy idea. Marry me. You won't have to work here anymore because I'll take care of you. We both win."

Pulling back, Carolyn shook her head. "And live where? On McCauwin's ranch? He'll take that whip of his to us both if he even thought you might have an interest in me, and you know it," she said sharply. "Goodbye, Liam."

Watching her walk away, Liam scowled. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right: McCauwin's wrath would be matchless if Liam and Carolyn married. And even if they did marry, they'd still be stuck in McCauwin's town.

"I've got to get out of here," Liam muttered as he headed to the hitching post where the ranch horse he'd rode into town was waiting for him.

"Sawyer!"

At McCauwin's shout, Liam flinched and turned. The Texas rancher was standing in front of the saloon. "What are you doing, boy?" he called suspiciously.

"Headed back to the ranch, sir," the young man answered. "Unless you need me."

McCauwin puffed on his cigar for a moment. Liam didn't move muscle until the rancher said, "Go ahead. No one wants your kind here anyway."

Relieved, Liam pulled himself into the saddle and headed out of town. The whole ride to the ranch, his mind mapped out what he was going to do. All was quiet, and no windows were alight. The entire ranch had gone into town. Leaving his mount saddled, Liam went into the bunkhouse. He gathered his few belongings, remembering when he'd done the same thing years earlier. He made it out to his horse and rode away from the ranch, having no regrets.

* * *

"And that's when I rode away from the McCauwin ranch for good."

"How did you survive?" Heath asked, remembering his own struggles after he left Strawberry.

"With my wits and charm," Liam answered with a laugh. He became serious a moment later though. "I got lucky, I guess. I found a saloon two towns over, a place called Johnsville, that was willing to pay me a small wage to do small chores around the place and to keep the rowdier cowboys from doing any damage."

Heath nodded. "I'm surprised McCauwin didn't come after you for stealing his horse."

"Oh, he tried," Liam responded. "But I was smart. After I had the job, I left the horse back to town and left it at the stables. I didn't have the horse when he finally tracked me down and tried to have me arrested."

"And he let that stop him?"

The other young man chuckled softly. "I had the benefit of a sheriff who kept to the letter of the law. He kept me out of jail and warned McCauwin not to come near me again."

Grass and leaves rustled as the breeze picked up for a moment. "I felt free for the first time," Liam commented softly. "Like finally the world was there for me to take and I could be anything I wanted to be."

"And you were working in a saloon."

"Hey, don't knock it," Liam said, reaching over to shove his twin. It wasn't hard enough to move Heath an inch. "It wasn't a bad job. Sure I got my lip busted every other night and that's where I learned to be quick on the draw but it was honest work and I was glad to have it."

Shrugging, Heath reached over and snatched the canteen from his brother. "So how did you rescue your girl? Did it take you long?"

A scowl crossed Liam's face. "Longer than I wanted," he admitted. "It was about five months before I thought I could manage to support a wife. I managed to wrangle a deal with the saloon owner for a room in the back, and he agreed that Carolyn could help the cook if she came. He tried to convince me that a saloon girl would never make a good wife."

"And you made him regret his words."

Liam snicked. "Of course I did," he answered. "So once I had a little bit saved up, I hired a buggy and went back. I had to sneak in after dark, you understand, because McCauwin's friends would have killed me on the spot."


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: This chapter is early this week because I am going to be away on my usual posting date. I love reading your reviews and I promise to respond to them as soon as I get back.**_

* * *

The dark made it easy to slip from building to building. Liam adjusted the brim of his hat as he glanced around the town. It was nearing dawn, and there were very few lights to give away his position. He found the doors to the saloon locked, the windows were dark, and not a sound to be heard from anywhere in the town, save for a distant meowing cat.

Frustrated, Liam weighed the option of pounding down the door but decided that would only cause more trouble than he was prepared to deal with. His hand slipped to his pocket and he pulled out the harmonica. It had become even more dented since Carolyn had given it to him.

Taking a deep breath, he raised it to his mouth and began to play the melody of Home on the Range. He leaned against the wall of the saloon. Above him a window scraped open and he tipped his head back to look up.

A single candle flame shone on Carolyn's face. "Who's down there?" she called out.

"Carolyn!" Liam exclaimed, dropping the instrument. "It's me. Liam."

"Liam?" she gasped. She glanced over her shoulder. "Wait a moment. I'll be right down."

Grinning, Liam put the harmonica in his pocket and waited. Nearly a minute later, the back door creaked open and the teenage girl stepped out, pulling her shawl tightly around her shoulders. "What are you doing here?" she demanded immediately. "If anyone sees you, Liam, they'll try to kill you! McCauwin thinks you made a fool of him!"

"I couldn't leave you here," Liam told her, grabbing her hands. "I have work away from here, Carolyn. You don't have to stay in this life."

She stared at him. "What?"

"I'm asking you to marry me," he said. "I know I'm doing a rather bad job of it but there it is. Say you will."

"Liam, I'm a saloon girl now," Carolyn argued in a low voice. "You're free now and I am so happy for you. Don't let someone like me drag you down."

Bewildered, Liam shook his head. "McCauwin has tried to ruin us both but I'm not going to let him succeed," he said, taking her by the shoulders. "Who will know or care what you had to do here once we're gone? It will be just you and me, making our way. Please Carolyn."

Scanning his face, Carolyn looked undecided. She glanced over her shoulder and stared at the saloon for a moment. "Alright," she answered softly. "I swore I would escape this place as soon as I could. I'd be a fool not to accept."

Delighted, Liam kissed her forehead. "Grab whatever is yours and I'll wait for you."

With a nod, Carolyn pulled free of him and vanished back inside the saloon. She returned ten minutes later in a different dress, a tattered bag in her hand and a worn bonnet on her head. "I'm ready," she said breathlessly.

Liam took her head and guided her out of the town to where he'd hidden the buggy. He put her bag in the back and then helped her up. They both were silent for the ride to Johnsville. When they were outside the town, Liam pulled the team to a stop.

"Why are we stopping?" Carolyn asked, looking at him for the first time.

The rising sun showed the bruises on her face and Liam felt a rush of anger. "I just want to make sure you want to go through with it," he told her. "You could probably find some kind of work here. Very few people know McCauwin."

Her eyes widened. "You'd do that?"

"I don't want to force you into anything."

Leaning forward, Carolyn kissed him. "You're the sweetest boy I've ever met," she declared when she pulled back. Liam blinked at her. "I'll marry you. If you really want me to."

"Of course I want to!" Liam said in surprise. "You were the first person to ever see me. The real me."

Curling her arm around his, Carolyn leaned against him. "I guess we better find a preacher then," she said. "I hope he won't think we're runaways and try to find our family."

"What family?" Liam answered with a scoff. "But to be on the safe side, we'll just say we're both eighteen, alright? He won't be able to object then."

"I don't think lying to a man of God is a good thing."

"Do you have any better ideas?" Carolyn shook her head. "Then we'll do it my way. Everything will work out for the best, Carolyn. You'll see."

* * *

"I don't think the preacher really believed us but he married us anyway," Liam said. His face had become beet red in the telling. "And that's how Carolyn became Mrs. Liam Sawyer. We moved in behind the saloon and managed to make ends meet the best we could."

"Nick and Jarrod are always joking about being romantic," Heath commented, his tone teasing. "I think they could probably learn a thing or two from you." He shook his head. "Mrs. Sawyer. Our ma would have been so proud."

"Why did our mother go by Thompson?" Liam asked. "I never understood."

Heath's face darkened as he remembered the intrusion of Charlie Sawyer into his life. "Probably because her first husband was a smooth talking con man, and she thought she'd be better off distancing herself from any connection to him," he answered. "He tried to convince me that I was his son."

Startled, Liam twisted around. "He what? I thought he was dead! Aunt Kathy told me he'd been killed in the mines!"

Heath found it interesting that it was 'Aunt Kathy' whenever he wasn't thinking about it. Clearly his brother still had some nostalgic attachment to the woman who had raised him. "He planned it that way, or just took advantage of a misunderstanding," he explained. "He did it to escape some creditors and only came back to search for some hidden gold mine."

"He just abandoned our mother?"

Nodding, Heath forced his fists to uncurl. "That's the long and short of it."

Frowning, Liam thought about that. "But why did he try to claim you -well, us really, I guess- as his son?"

"Money. Maybe the desire to have some kind of family but mostly for the money."

With a sigh, Liam shook his head. "Money," he repeated. "So I guess he really was as no good as he was described."

"He was a dreamer," Heath responded, his tone short. "He's dead now. He died in my arms after some men he conned caught up to him."

"Did you believe him? When he said you were his son?" the other man asked. Visibly, Heath grew tense and Liam shifted his gaze away. "Sorry. That was a stupid question. Seeing how the family is with you there could be no doubt where you belong."

There was silence and Liam swung his gaze back to his brother. Heath wasn't looking at him and guilt was written all over his stance. "No," Liam exclaimed in shock. "You really believed him? Why?"

"I don't know," Heath snapped back. He ran his hand through his hair. "Looking back it was stupid but he convinced me. I left, Liam. I felt terrible that I had imposed on the family and it broke my heart to walk away. But I felt there was no other choice."

Liam nodded in understanding. "Some part you didn't feel good enough for all this."

Breathing out, Heath shrugged a shoulder. "I suppose," he reluctantly said. "I was a fool. Everyone tried to talk me out of it but I wouldn't listen. I flat out told them I was a Sawyer. When I realized I was wrong, the family welcomed me back and refused to even acknowledge it would ever happen."

Pushing away from the tree trunk, Liam rested his arms against his bent knees. "Well that does explain a lot," he commented thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, our brother Nick being so adamant that I need to start going by Barkley, and his being so offended that I haven't moved here," Liam explained. "You walked away once because you had doubts. If I'm so far away, what's to keep me from deciding I can't be a part of all this?"

Heath raised his eyebrow. "That mean you're going to stay? Keep our older brother from worrying?"

"Just because I understand doesn't mean I've made up my mind one way or the other. Besides, I figure it would do him some good to know he can't control everything."

The sun was starting to dip closer to the horizon and Heath knew they should get back but he didn't feel quite ready to share his brother with the rest of the family once more. The times when it was just the two of them, giving them the opportunity to get to know each other, didn't happen often. There was still so much he wanted to know about his twin.

"I haven't heard you play the harmonica," he commented.

"Probably because I don't have one anymore," Liam responded, stretching his arms. "I had to sell it when Carrie and I made the move to San Francisco. It only brought a small amount but every penny counted. And it was worth it to escape Texas completely."

"Now that is one place I never ended up: a big city," Heath remarked thoughtfully. "I kept to the ranches and small towns: mining and ranching and other odd jobs. What was it like in San Francisco?"

"It's a place," Liam said, his tone the one that was short and sharp. "Better than Texas but one of the last places I'd want to go back to."

Curious, Heath leaned forward. "What made you go there then?"

Closing his eyes, Liam shook his head. "Desperation."


	8. Chapter 8

Mornings were always quiet around the saloon. Eighteen year old, Liam tossed the broken remnants of a chair onto the scrap pile. He breathed in the cool fall scent of leaves that clung to the breeze. He smiled as he heard his two year old daughter's laugh.

"I suppose that's your brat I hear."

All enjoyment of the day fled and he grit his teeth. "Hello, Mac," he said, turning to face the man. "What brings you this way?"

"Can't a man stop by to see an old friend?" Mac asked, leaning against the side of the building. He spun his gun in his hand and slipped it into the holster. "You're looking well, Sawyer. Saloon life treating you well? Who would have thought?"

"If you have a point, you better get to it quick," Liam warned. "I have work to do."

Mac shook his head. "That's a poor way to welcome a friend," he said a note of mock offense in his voice. "I came to offer you a chance to get out of this place. You can set yourself and your little family up for life in no time."

Liam knew the other man could only have one objective in mind. "I don't want to hear it, Mac," he said firmly. "Carolyn and I are doing just fine for ourselves."

"For the moment, because McCauwin is allowing it," Mac fired back. "What will you do when he decides that he wants to destroy you for being a persistent thorn in his side? You think being a few towns over will be enough distance to keep him from you...or your family?"

"Liam!"

Hearing his wife's cry, Liam bolted to the side of the saloon. Carolyn's stance was defensive and Lucy was clinging to her skirts. The laundry was abandoned a few feet away, one of Liam's shirts hanging on the edge of the barrel Carolyn had claimed for the use. The source of his wife's fear was obvious: the McCauwins were standing a few yards away, and McCauwin was holding a thick envelope out.

"Carolyn? What's wrong?" Liam asked, hurrying to his wife's side. He put an arm around her waist and glared at the couple who had raised him. She clung to him, trembling violently. It was times like this that Liam was reminded that she was only seventeen years old. "Are these people bothering you?"

She didn't say anything. "We were merely making an offer that you would be wise to accept," McCauwin informed him.

"She's adorable, Liam," Mrs. McCauwin said, holding out her hand. "She looks nothing like either of you."

Crouching down, Liam removed his arm from around his wife and scooped up his daughter instead. "Say your piece and be on your way," he said as Lucy put her arms around his neck. "The sheriff warned you to keep a good distance between us."

"We want the child," McCauwin said abruptly.

 _That_ was why they were there? To steal his little girl from him? "You can't have her," Liam answered sharply, tightening his grip on his daughter. "You can go now."

"Liam!" Mrs. McCauwin exclaimed in horror. "Think for a moment. We can give her so much more than this. Her life could be better than all this."

Liam's eyes narrowed. "Like the life you gave me? A thousand times no!" he snapped back. "Get out of here and don't come back."

"You're not thinking clearly, boy," McCauwin growled in an angry tone. Lucy, in Liam's arms, whimpered and Liam jiggled her to calm her. "I don't know why I expected you to. Do you even know the brat is yours? What kind of life do you, a bastard and a whore, think you can give a child? I'm surprised no one else has stepped up to right this injustice."

"And what kind of life would you give her?" Carolyn snapped out, bristling with anger. Liam glanced down to see her blue eyes sparking with fury. "An existence where you never allow her to forget where she came from? Like you did to Liam? I'm surprised you would even consider darkening your home with such a child!"

McCauwin took a step forward, his hand moving to his gun. Swiftly, Liam moved in front of his wife, handing her their daughter. Lucy wailed a brief protest at being separated from her father. At the same time, Mrs. McCauwin grabbed her husband's arm. "Not like this," she pleaded. "Please. Another time."

"This isn't over yet," McCauwin warned before he allowed his wife to pull him away.

"Oh, Liam!" Carolyn exclaimed, facing her husband. "What are they going to do? They won't be able to take her from us, will they?"

Shaking his head, Liam wrapped his arms around Carolyn and Lucy, pulling them close. "I don't think there is any legal way for them to do it," he told her honestly. "But I don't want to take the chance that he'll figure something out."

Carolyn pulled back to look up at him. "What do you mean?"

"I think we have to get out of here and disappear."

"Disappear?" she repeated. In her arms, Lucy was chattering nonsense, seeming to be fine now that the threat was gone. "Where would we go? All we've ever known is here."

"Senora Carolyn. Senot Liam."

At the older woman's call, the couple stepped apart. Senora Moralez, the one person from Carolyn's old life who had been loyal to the Baker family, hurried towards them. "I see Senor McCauwin in street," she informed them. She set down her basket and reached to take Lucy. "He cause trouble?"

Handing her daughter over to the woman, Carolyn launched into a swift explanation in Spanish. Liam watched them with a fond smile. As soon as he'd been told Carolyn was pregnant, he'd tracked down the old nurse as a surprise for his wife. He had been certain they could manage to pay something, however small, for woman to come to them.

In the end, Senora Moralez had refused payment, stating it was a blessing from God that she be allowed near her dear Carolyn once again. She'd moved into the tiny two room place that Liam and Carolyn lived in, choosing to sleep in the kitchen portion. She doted on Lucy and helped Carolyn with the cooking for the saloon.

"She says the McCauwins went to the judge," Carolyn said, pulling Liam back to the conversation. "What do you think he's trying to do?"

"I don't know," Liam admitted. And not knowing made him uneasy. "We have to act quickly if we want any chance of losing McCauwin entirely. The best place to do that is in a large city."

"You mean like in Austin?"

Firmly, Liam shook his head. "We need to get out of Texas completely," he answered. "San Francisco. They're always saying California is the place to be. We'll go there."

Both women stared at him in shock. "San Francisco? Liam, that's so far away!"

Liam took her hands in his. "That's the point, Carrie," he told her. "It's the last place McCauwin would expect us to go."

Shaking her head, Carolyn squeezed his hands. "But it already drives you nuts being in _this_ town," she pointed out. "San Francisco must be a hundred times bigger. How will you stand it? What will you do for work?"

"I will do anything to keep our family together."

* * *

"What did you do in San Francisco?" Heath asked when it was obvious his brother was done telling the story. "Jarrod's perspective is always that of a single, lawyer in a city bright with opportunity. I guess I've wondered what it would be like for someone who didn't have the money to like he did."

Shaking his head, Liam tossed another pebble at the stream. "Don't ask me to talk about San Francisco."

"That bad?"

Liam looked over and for the first time, Heath saw a bleakness in his brother's eyes. "I just don't want to talk about it," was all the other man would say. "It's better left in the past."

Considering some of the things in his own life that Heath would prefer not to discuss unless absolutely necessary, he nodded agreement. "Well, you know I'm here if you ever need to talk," he offered. "Any of the family is."

"That's not going to happen," Liam said bluntly. "Not ever."

Knowing the foolishness of making such statements, Heath just nodded again. "If it makes you feel better, I'm glad you went to San Francisco," he said, looking out over the land. "If you hadn't, would you have heard about the Double Square? Would we have ever met or would we have lived our lives without ever knowing we were twins."

"I'm not sure I can agree," Liam responded honestly. "The price was too high."

Knowing the loss of his wife still weighed heavily on Liam's mind, Heath decided not to take offense at the comment. Liam took a deep breath and stretched out his arms. "You really are good at this getting others to talk thing," he remarked, his tone lighter. Heath wondered if he was the only one who would be able to hear the underlying grief.

"You haven't much opportunity for conversation with jarrod, then," Heath replied with a grin. "Now he can get anyone to talk. Even me. Sometimes."

"Is that another hint that I need to come here?"

Heath raised his hands up innocently. "You said it, not me," he pointed out.

His brother heaved a sigh. "I'll consider it," he finally said. "Really consider and not just as a way to get you all off my back. That's all I can promise, Heath. I honestly can't leave the Double Square short handed like that, not after all the concessions they've made for me since I started working there. But I will think about coming to Stockton."

"I think I'll keep that bit of news to myself," Heath said thoughtfully. He grinned at his brother's quizzical look. "I can see Nick grabbing hold of that and turning it into you're moving in by the end of the week."

Liam gave a mock shudder. "Thank you for saving me from that," he said. He sent a glance at the sun. "I think we better get back. No doubt Lucy has driven Victoria crazy by now."

Pushing himself up, Heath remarked, "You don't have to be the odd one out calling her Victoria."

"She's a wonderful woman, Heath, and I know what she means to you all," Liam said quickly. He accepted his brother's hand in getting to his feet and then settled his hat on his head. "But it doesn't feel right to call her 'Mother' like all of you do. It's going to take time for me to get to know her."

Nodding in understanding, Heath led the way to their horses. "One of these days, I will get you to talk," Liam warned as he pulled himself into the saddle. "It's not fair for you to know the details of my past and you keep so silent on everything."

Heath smirked. "You're welcome to try," he responded.

"I'll claim older brother privilege and order you to tell me."

"Now you don't know that you're older than me," Heath objected. "I could be the firstborn."

"Maybe, but like you said, we don't know. And I claimed it first."

"It doesn't work like that. Liam!"


	9. Chapter 9

The twin brothers finished putting away their tack and left the barn. They were halfway to the house when a blonde haired girl came running towards them. "Papa! Papa! Uncle Heath!" Lucy exclaimed. "I thought you'd never get back! You've been gone all day!"

Laughing, Liam caught his daughter and tossed her into the air. "There's my Lucy-bug," he exclaimed as he caught her. He kissed her cheek as the girl giggled. "And what have you been up to with your Aunt Audra and Grandma?"

"I met Uncle Gene and he gave me horsey ride," Lucy informed him, wrapping her arms around her father's neck. "Then, Grandma got me a new dress and Aunt Audra gave me a doll. You want to see them?"

"In a bit, sweetheart. I'm afraid you're going to be spoiled rotten if I leave you alone with Aunt Audra and Grandma any more," Liam lamented, sending a resigned look to his twin brother. "You may as well tell me now: how many cookies did you get?"

"None!"

Liam frowned, shifting Lucy so that she rested on his left hip. "None? That doesn't sound like-," he began to say before he cut himself off. "You were in town. How much _candy_ was it?"

"A reasonable amount," Aidra responded, coming out onto the front porch. "You two are finally here. We were beginning to think we'd have to send a search party out for you. Silas has dinner ready so you two need to get cleaned up."

"If Lucy is off the walls from sugar tonight, you get to deal with her," Liam warned.

Huffing, Audra stuck her nose in the air, then turned on her heel and stalked inside. "Well, looks like you're going to have to figure out a way to get back on our sister's good side," Heath said, clapping a hand on Liam's shoulder. "Ready to meet Gene?"

"Yep," Liam answered, falling into step slightly behind his brother. Once they were inside, he set Lucy on the ground. She immediately darted to the left, leading the way into the room.

"They're here!" she announced.

The slim young man that stood up and came forward held his hand out toward Liam. "You must be Liam," he said. "I'm Eugene."

"Glad to finally meet you," Liam answered, shaking Gene's hand. "Your mother said she'd have my hide if I wasn't here for your homecoming."

Jarrod burst out laughing. "That sounds exactly like something Mother would threaten," he commented. Lucy had climbed up the lawyer's back and was peeping over his shoulder as she clung to him. "Did you two have a good day?"

Heath and Liam exchanged looks. "Yep," Heath said simply.

"Then you've finally talked Liam into coming here," Nick asked eagerly.

"Nope."

Nick scowled. "Do you mean to tell me I picked up your slack all day and you don't have anything to show for it?" he demanded. "Liam, you said you didn't want to leave Double Square short handed. Well, you've had plenty of time to give them notice. What's your excuse now?"

Chuckling, Jarrod twisted his head to look at Lucy. "Didn't you have something for your papa, Lucy?" he asked. He helped the suddenly impatient girl to the floor and then Lucy took off. The lawyer stepped over to Liam. "Just ignore Nick's ranting, Liam. He was doing the same to Gene before you arrived."

"He was," Gene concurred with a grin. "I was afraid he was going to have to repeat himself for a third time."

The dark haired rancher's scowl intensified. "This is the Barkley ranch," he said defensively. "It only makes sense that Barkleys run it."

"Brother Nick never can bring himself to understand that there is a life outside of this ranch," Jarrod remarked.

However Nick was going to respond to that was lost by Lucy's reappearance. The girl was followed by Victoria and Audra, and her hands were behind her back. "Papa, I got a special surprise for you," Lucy declared.

"Do you, Lucy-bug?" Liam asked, kneeling down. "Alright. Let me see."

"You have to hold your hands out and close your eyes," the girl insisted stubbornly. Chuckling, Liam obediently held his hands out and closed his eyes. A moment later, a small wooden box landed in his hands. "Ok! You can look now!"

Opening his eyes, Liam stared in surprise at the rectangular box. "Open it up already," Audra urged. "As soon as she saw it, Lucy insisted you had to have this."

Trying to control his suddenly trembling fingers, Liam opened the box. The shiny harmonica gleamed in the light. "Is it just like the one Mama gave you?" Lucy asked eagerly. "Is it?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Liam saw the rest of the family start in surprise. "Yeah, Lucy," he managed to say, his voice thick with emotion. He cleared his throat and shook his head. "It's just the same. Thank you."

"Play it, Papa! Play it!"

Liam lifted the musical instrument from the box and then set the box aside. He offered a rueful grin as he tried to shake the trembling out of each hand. He brought the instrument to his mouth and began to play, Home on the Range. He hit a wrong note after a few bars and stopped playing.

"It's been awhile since I last played. I'm a bit rusty," he apologized.

While everyone seemed to have an idea that something important had happened, only Heath really understood and the fair haired man out his hand on Liam's shoulder. "It sounded just fine to me, Brother Liam," he said.

"Now you can be happy again, Papa," Lucy said, working her way under her father's arm.

"I'm happy, Lucy," Liam told her and pressed a kiss against the side of her head. "I'm happy."

"Well," Victoria commented, her eyes suspiciously bright. She cleared her throat. "Let's not keep dinner waiting any longer. Heath, Liam, I do hope that you're not going to try to come to the table covered in that dust."

The two men shared amused looks. "No, ma'am," Heath answered with a chuckle as Liam stood up. "Just give us a couple minutes."

"Come along, Lucy," Victoria said, holding out her hand. The little girl ran to her and they led the way out of the room with Eugene on their heels. Clapping Liam on the shoulder, Jarrod was the next out. Audra wiped her eyes as she went.

Coughing, Nick went up to Liam. "You know I don't mean anything when I yell at you about coming here," he said, shuffling his feet. "You do what you have to do, Liam."

Cracking a smile, Liam nodded. "Sure, Nick," he answered. "Who knows? I might get kicked off the Double Square since the company I'm keeping is a bit suspicious and then you won't be able to get rid of me."

Barking out a laugh, Nick headed for the dining room. "You ok?" Heath asked.

"Just fine, Heath," Liam answered. He slipped the harmonica into his pocket. "Just fine."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thanks everyone for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. My sister was rather fond of Liam and kept asking for more about him,and this story came into existence. She is already asking me for more, so maybe there will be more adventures in the future!**_


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